Peter Watson - The Age of Atheists [2014][A]

Book Description
From one of Britain’s most distinguished historians comes the stirring story of one of the modern world’s most important yet controversial intellectual achievements: atheism.
Since Friedrich Nietzsche roundly declared that “God is dead” in 1882, a raft of reflective and courageous individuals have devoted their creative energies to devising ways to live without Him, turning instead to invention, enthusiasm, hope, wit and, above all, various forms of self-reliance. Their brave, imaginative story has gone untold—until now. In The Age of Atheists, acclaimed historian Peter Watson offers a sweeping narrative of the secular philosophers and poets, psychologists and scientists, painters and playwrights, novelists and even choreographers who have forged a thrilling, bold path in the absence of religious belief.
Synthesizing nearly a century and a half of recent history, The Age of Atheists is a stunning, magisterial celebration of life without recourse to the supernatural.
From Paul Valéry and George Santayana to Richard Rorty and Ronald Dworkin, from Georges- Pierre Seurat and Constantin Brâncuşi to Jackson Pollock and Robert Rauschenberg, from André Gide to Philip Roth, from Rudolf Laban to Merce Cunningham, from Henrik Ibsen to Samuel Beckett, from Wallace Stevens and Rainer Maria Rilke to Elizabeth Bishop and Czesław Miłosz, from Sigmund Freud and Benjamin Spock to E. O. Wilson and Sam Harris, The Age of Atheists brilliantly explores how atheism has evolved, deepened and matured, and gained unprecedented resonance and popularity as it has sought to replace an unknowable God in the afterlife with the voluptuous detail and warmth of this life, to be found in art, philosophy and science, all woven into a rational, secular morality.
Atheism has had its share of ideologues, tyrants and charlatans, but it is above all a history of brave accomplishment—and one that is far from finished.
From Nietzsche and his nihilism to Dawkins and Dennett, Nagel and Habermas, Watson’s stimu­lating intellectual narrative explores the revolutionary ideas and big questions provoked by these great minds and movements. A sparkling and ultimately trium­phant history, The Age of Atheists is the first full story of our efforts to live without God.

Reviews
"Peter Watson’s hindsight, foresight and insight into the role atheists play in creating our cultures makes The Age of Atheists a must read. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation of the rich world in which we live." (Charles de Groot, co-chair of The de Groot Foundation)

"Peter Watson's book has made the extraordinary leap of assessing each of the 20th century's important secular philosophic traditions. Along the way, as an ultimate reference, he has also given us the intuitive methods and insights of that century's leading poets, painters, musicians and choreographers. Perhaps no one else at this moment has the background for such an adventure. Whether as a guide to the last century's thinkers or as a reference to the insights of its artists, The Age of Atheists is an indispensable map to locate our present." (William Kistler, poet and essayist)

"Watson’s encompassing treatment of a difficult subject, in a world growing no less uncertain, is impressive and, ultimately, reassuring." (Booklist (starred))

“The beauty of this book is Watson's ability to impose order on a riot of ideas…even the casual reader will find much to delight and enlighten as Watson elegantly connects the dots from Nietzsche and William James to Bob Dylan and jazz.” (Publishers Weekly)

"H]ighly readable and immensely wide-ranging….Peter Watson has produced what is, in every way, a big book, one that bears reading thoughtfully, with a pencil in hand. For anybody who has wondered about the meaning of life, and that pretty much covers everyone past the age of 12, discovering “The Age of Atheists” will be an enthralling and mind­expanding experience." (Michael Dirda The Washington Post)

"A vividly engaging conspectus of the formative ideas of the past century, The Age of Atheists shows how Nietzche's diagnosis evoked responses in many areas of cultural life, including some surprising parts of the political spectrum." (The New Statesman)

"[A]n exhilarating ride through the cerebra of disparate men…who have tried to fashion a Godless yet nonetheless ordered and sustaining worldview. It is a topical book, to be sure, but also one that will stand the test of time as a masterful account of its subject." (The Boston Globe)

About the Author
Peter Watson is an intellectual historian, journalist, and the author of thirteen books, including The German Genius, The Medici Conspiracy, and The Great Divide. He has written for The Sunday Times, The New York Times, the Observer, and the Spectator. He lives in London.